


Live Steel

by Tamasha



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Era, Canon Related, Confessions, Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, Feels, Gay, Happy Ending, Kissing, Love, M/M, Magic Revealed, Male Slash, Mild Gore, Possessive Behavior, Protectiveness, Relationship(s), Romance, Swordfighting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-30
Updated: 2015-05-30
Packaged: 2018-04-01 22:49:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4037524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tamasha/pseuds/Tamasha
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin gets hurt during a bandit attack, so Arthur decides it is time for him to learn to swordfight. While he tries to teach Merlin to protect himself, he feels as if Merlin isn't taking it as seriously as he should, never realizing that Merlin has his own special way of protecting himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Live Steel

**Author's Note:**

> written by Natasha

"Why do I have to use this wooden sword? No one else has one." Arthur looked at his gangly, clumsy manservant and sighed.

"It's a practice sword, Merlin. I'm not going to give you live steel until I am certain you won't hurt yourself." Merlin made a face and lifted his sword to a parody of the guard position. Stepping forward, Arthur placed his hands over Merlin's and adjusted him. As soon as Arthur took his hands away, Merlin began to droop out of position again. "Elbow up," he said absently. "Otherwise you leave an opening on your side, and..."

Merlin winced as Arthur trailed off. He knew what could happen next. That was the entire reason Arthur had deemed it necessary to teach him to defend himself. Up until recently, Arthur hadn’t thought much of Merlin’s incompetence with a weapon. After all, Arthur was more than talented enough for the two of them. Unfortunately, as they had both learned, Arthur could not always be at Merlin's side. Merlin now had a scar from the long, shallow gash he had received that day, and Arthur still hated to think about it. It made him sick knowing Merlin could have died.

So he talked to his lover and convinced him to learn the basics, at least. Arthur took on the task himself, not willing to let anyone else teach Merlin wrong. But it was proving to be even more difficult than Arthur had anticipated.

Merlin swung his sword a little wildly, barely missing Arthur’s head. "Was that right?" Arthur looked him over and sighed.

"That's enough for today."

 

*~~~~~~~*

 

Over the next two weeks, Arthur felt like he was beating his head against a wall. Merlin had no fighting instincts, no balance, no experience. He stayed cheerful, but he hardly took the lessons seriously, and Arthur was getting nowhere with him.

He should just give up, let Merlin go, but the thought of Merlin alone, threatened, and with no defense left him cold. He needed the assurance that his manservant would be safe. Though he couldn’t show it outwardly, Merlin was more important to Arthur than anyone.

Still, he had a limited amount of patience and one day, he reached the end. "Footwork, Merlin! How many times do I have to tell you to mind your feet? If you don't step right, you will not have the balance to stay upright, and if you fall, you cannot defend yourself! It's like you want to be hurt again!" Merlin's expression didn’t change into negative, it just went carefully neutral, closed off. His blues eyes held walls that Arthur hated to see. Despite this, he couldn’t quite chase away his irritation, and he made a curt gesture with his free hand. "Just go. We'll meet here again tomorrow."

Merlin did not grace his rooms that night, though Arthur couldn’t blame him. He shouldn't have shouted, no matter how frustrated he got. Merlin wasn’t intentionally clumsy. Arthur fell asleep conflicted and then dreamt of Merlin dying.

Understandably grumpy when he woke up, Arthur dressed with apprehension. Merlin hadn’t come in even to wake him up, causing Arthur to wonder if he would show up to their practice. Therefore, Arthur was pleasantly surprised to see his manservant already there.

Arthur paused before the other man noticed him and watched. Merlin moved slowly but accurately through the footwork exercises he had learned this week. He had a look of concentration on his face that Arthur found adorable and Arthur felt pride for his initiate bloom in his chest. "Merlin," he called.

Merlin whirled around and stumbled, but Arthur steadied him with a smile and a hand beneath his elbow. Merlin's eyes were wide and his cheeks tinted red. He was gorgeous. "Sorry, I -" he began.

"You were doing very well," Arthur said softly, his first compliment since he had started teaching Merlin.

Merlin eyed him hesitantly and then blushed a darker red when he noted Arthur’s sincerity. Arthur grabbed the other man by the collar and pulled him in for a slow kiss.

When their lips parted, Merlin wore a cheeky smile. "I thought these lessons were to be strictly professional."

Arthur snorted and stepped away. "Shut up, Merlin. Now go through those steps again, but this time with your sword." He kept his voice formal and commanding, but Merlin retained his grin as he complied.

 

*~~~~~~~*

 

The following weeks were suddenly productive. Merlin steadily progressed in his lessons, and though he still learned more slowly than most beginners, Arthur occasionally caught him spending his own time on extra practice and his heart went out to his manservant.

"Merlin?" he said one evening, lying in bed and running his fingers over Merlin's chest.

"Mmm?" Merlin responded sleepily.

"I think you are ready to start with your own sword." Merlin shifted onto his side and Arthur’s fingers slipped over to his lean arm. The muscles were slightly more defined now, but from this vantage point, Arthur could see Merlin’s scar. His spirits lowered, hating that he couldn't protect Merlin the way he should be able to.

"Really?" Merlin asked playfully, not noticing Arthur’s shift in mood. Fortunately, the twinkle in Merlin’s eye brought Arthur up higher than before. This was all he ever wanted. This, right here, with Merlin’s arms around him and his smile genuine and their legs intertwined. "Am I doing well enough to be let off my leash too, then?"

"Your leash?" Arthur asked, confused.

Merlin ran his long fingers through Arthur’s hair, making him close his eyes with a soft hum. "I know you've kept me away from the other knights on purpose. You don’t have to coddle me, though, you know. They'll be gentle with me."

Arthur’s eyes flew open and a warm flush crept onto his face. He wasn’t coddling Merlin, exactly, just... hoarding? He did trust his knights, each and every one of them. It was just that he trusted himself more. Still, he had just admitted to Merlin that he was doing well enough to be trusted to keep himself safe. Surely that extended to any matches with the knights?

Arthur imagined Merlin up against the stronger, more experienced men of the round table. His hand on Merlin’s bicep tightened. Gwaine was wild and a little unfair in his style. He never held back. Lancelot was just too damn fast. Percival was gentle, but also tall and very strong. He bit his lip. "Perhaps Leon will bring you into his afternoon lessons with the squires?" Leon had been training since he was a child, but that also meant he spent the most time training others. He was a patient teacher and Arthur knew he could trust him with Merlin.

Merlin smiled gently, stroking Arthur’s face. "I know you are worried, but I'll be okay, Arthur, really. The whole point of this was for me to be able to take care of myself, anyway, right?"

Arthur conceded with a kiss and then Merlin asked for more with his tongue. Arthur finally pulled away, wanting to make it clear that he trusted Merlin. He really didn’t mean to coddle him. "Merlin, you are the most competent man I have ever met." He held Merlin’s eyes with his own and he saw their smile go from surprised to pleased to playful.

"Am I?" he asked. "You seem to think otherwise, the way you complain about my completing my duties." He lifted himself onto one elbow.

Arthur pounced, flipping Merlin to his back. He paused to see Merlin’s eyes widen and then began to move downward. "Your servant's duties? You're terrible at that. Your duties as my lover, though -"

"Hardly duties!" Merlin said with a shove. Ignoring him, Arthur tugged at his pants.

"Your duties as my lover, you are quite wonderful at." Arthur began a steady motion with a wicked smile. "I think I can match you though. Shall we see?"

Merlin answered with a moan.

 

*~~~~~~~*

 

The next day, Arthur purposefully stayed away from the training grounds while Leon taught the squires. He distracted himself with paperwork and told himself that Leon would keep his manservant safe. He was adding sums pertaining to grain storage when Merlin flung open the door and then stomped over to the bed and threw himself into it.

Arthur finished his notation on the sheet in front of him and then stood to approach Merlin. "Go away," Merlin protested, but Arthur sat down next to him and began to massage his legs where he knew they would hurt. "You could have warned me that Leon would be so much harsher than you," he grumbled. Arthur smiled and kept rubbing. "I think I prefer being babied by you to being overworked by Leon. Also, with you I don't get laughed at by a bunch of younglings." Arthur raised his brows, wondering if he should break in, or just let Merlin rant. "Ooh, that feels good..."

"I know," Arthur responded mildly. And then: "I'm certain you did fine."

"Leon probably hates me." Arthur barked a laugh, and then sobered up.

"Merlin... you have learned a lot. If you want... you can stop anytime, if you feel ready." He couldn’t quite meet Merlin’s eyes, but he spoke truthfully. He didn’t want Merlin to be miserable.

Merlin was quiet for a moment, but when Arthur looked up, he spoke again. "No, Arthur. I will keep learning." Arthur nodded as if it were all the same to him, but he felt a peace grow in his heart.

"Let me see your hands," he ordered. Merlin offered them hesitantly and Arthur inspected them. "Your steel hilt will give you blisters until you get callouses. But I have some ointment to ease the pain and speed up the healing." He left the bed to rummage through a drawer till he found his pot of ointment, and then he brought it back to rub into Merlin’s palms.

"Thank you, Arthur," he said softly, after a few minutes. Arthur kissed his forehead.

"I love you, Merlin."

 

*~~~~~~~*

 

“He’ll make a good swordsman if he keeps practising,” Leon told him about a week later. “Maybe not for a while, but he isn’t one to give up, is he?” Arthur smiled fondly.

“Not Merlin,” he responded. Merlin was grumpier every day after Leon’s sessions and he complained more than was strictly necessary, but he never did stop going. When he curled into Arthur at the end of the day, he fell asleep almost instantly, so Arthur was anxious to spend more time with his lover. Tomorrow, Merlin had a day off.

“Sire,” Leon said then, his tone changing. “There is another matter I would like to speak to you about…” Arthur sighed and tore his mind away from thoughts of Merlin.

“Go on, Leon.”

“We just found out that there was a break-in sometime last night. Nothing is missing or out of place, but the gate to the crypts was found unlocked. I have, of course, assigned extra patrols and the guard is on silent alert. However, we are not really sure what we are facing yet.” Leon gave his report in his deep, calm voice. An outside observer might think he was not worried at all, but Arthur could tell from his tense stance that he was actually very nervous.

Nevertheless, this was nothing they had not faced before, so Arthur smiled reassuringly and nodded. “It sounds like you have it under control, Sir Leon. Thank you for your vigilance.” Leon bowed his head, but as he was turning to leave, Arthur stopped him. “Oh, Leon! I will take your beginner’s class today. That way you will have the freedom to focus on the current situation." Leon nodded shortly and then made his way out.

Alone again, Arthur sank back into his padded chair. He looked at what he had written in his letter to Queen Annis. They were discussing a trade agreement, and it was just an update, boring stuff, really. He pushed it aside and started to get ready to teach Leon’s class.

When Arthur entered the courtyard, he saw Merlin sparring with one of the older kids. Arthur watched carefully as he walked up and saw enough to know that Merlin had the upper hand before the pair noticed him and stopped their fight.

Merlin grinned and lowered his sword. "Arthur, what are you doing here?"

"I'm going to teach your class," he said, resisting the urge to pull Merlin in for a kiss. The other students were gathering around, eyeing their king nervously. Arthur stepped back so he could see everyone at once. "Sir Leon is otherwise engaged, so I will be your teacher today. Please pair up, and start working on your routines." The youngsters obediently broke off into pairs and Arthur started to walk around and correct forms.

He pointedly ignored Merlin and his partner in his attempt not to show favorites. He didn’t expect to be so uncertain about how to treat his lover in a class setting. Merlin scowled at him though, when Arthur passed by without a word one too many times.

Arthur started and tried to shrug an apology. Merlin just kept glaring, so Arthur came back to watch him. They were onto sparring now, but Arthur just watched Merlin and the way his body moved. His motive was purely aesthetic, and he found he had no advice to give, because he really hadn’t been watching the fight. "Good job," he muttered, turning red. He wasn’t even sure who had won.

With that he turned around and went back to only paying attention to the younger students.

 

*~~~~~~~*

 

"Arthur, what was that?" Merlin demanded after the last of the students trailed away. He had put his hands on his hips and was now giving Arthur a look that said he would be very disappointed if he didn't offer a good enough explanation.

Arthur lifted his hands pacifyingly. "I'm sorry! You distract me." Merlin's eyes softened, but he kept a wry frown.

"Why come to be my teacher then, if you are just going to ignore me?"

Arthur grinned. "I wanted to see you." Then, his face became somber. He placed a hand on Merlin’s lower back and guided him toward the castle. "It seems as if someone broke in last night, though we aren't sure who or why. I wanted Leon free to look into it."

Merlin frowned slightly and began to walk with a bit more purpose. Arthur eyed his lover with fondness. Merlin was loyal and he always seemed to think he could protect Arthur, when really, it was the other way around. Arthur didn’t bother to bring this up as he followed Merlin through the castle and into his room.

Just inside the door, Merlin froze. Arthur gently pushed him aside and walked past. "Merlin -" he started, but he cut off when he saw what Merlin had seen. Tauren sat nonchalantly on Arthur's bed, sword drawn, but laid across his knees. He was a known renegade sorcerer, set on bringing down the Pendragons. Arthur had thought his assassination of Uther was the last he would see of Tauren, but clearly, he was back to finish the job.

Considerably more roughly, Arthur shoved Merlin behind him, dropping immediately into a protective stance as he unsheathed his sword. Tauren stood lazily and said nothing, his sword hanging limply at his side. Arthur could feel Merlin hovering too close behind him, so he took steps into the room and toward Tauren. This left Merlin more open, but he did have his sword with him and besides, Arthur had no intention of letting Tauren past him.

"Arthur," Merlin breathed. "Just... step back." Arthur shot his manservant an incredulous look, but Tauren didn’t even take advantage of his distraction. "Please."

Ignoring Merlin, Arthur faced the sorcerer again. "Leave now, and I won't send anyone after you. You can live out your days in peace."

Tauren snorted derisively and Arthur tensed for the inevitable attack. Instead, he heard Merlin shuffle behind him, beginning to move forward. Without pausing to consider it, Arthur chose to attack at that moment, hoping to draw attention away from Merlin. Before he even reached Tauren, though, a heavy force hit him on the chest and flung him hard against the stone wall. Arthur heard, rather than felt, the loud crack of his skull connecting with the wall. He slumped on the ground and struggled to fight off the waves of black threatening his vision.

"Arthur!" Merlin shouted. Then Merlin’s frail form was rushing forward and he was shouting as if in another language. He also seemed to be glowing and - oh! Arthur would have gasped if the darkness had not chosen that moment to win him over.

 

*~~~~~~~*

 

"No, no, no," Merlin begged as he knelt next to his king's still form. "Arthur, don't do this, not now, you prat!" He had dealt with Tauren almost thoughtlessly, his mind only on saving Arthur. Now, he gathered his lover's upper body onto his lap and choked back tears when he felt the slight rise and fall of his chest as Arthur breathed. Breathed!

Still, he wasn't sure what he could do, and Arthur was far from out of the woods. Merlin took a deep breath himself to still his trembling fingers and then he softly touched the back of Arthur’s head. Blood steadily pumped out, too fast. Ignoring the sticky heat of it gathering on his lap and in his fingers, Merlin tore off his shirt to use as a bandage. Stripping the material into pieces, he padded the hurt area and then wound the rest tightly around Arthur’s head. Once he was sure everything was bound appropriately, he took a moment to calm himself. He had done all he could to stop the bleeding; the rest depended on what he could accomplish with his magic.

Arthur did not know about Merlin’s magic, of course. It was outlawed in Camelot, and Arthur still saw it as evil. There was never exactly a good time to bring up something like that. He tried not to use it unless it was necessary, and he never let Arthur see when he did. Now that he had broken the latter rule, the former was that much more vital. However, this was life or death for Arthur. There was nothing on Earth more important than keeping Arthur alive. Merlin knew if he was banished or even hanged for this, it would be worth it, if only Arthur survived.

Merlin steadied himself. He had never attempted a healing so delicate, and this was something he had to accomplish perfectly. Arthur lay motionless in his lap, looking peaceful, none of the crimson from his wound showing on his face. Burning that image into his mind, Merlin closed his eyes and began to feed his pulsing magic into Arthur's body.

It could have taken seconds or hours; Merlin had no concept of time while he worked. At some point, though, he knew he was finished - whether it succeeded or not, there was nothing more he could do. So he let go of his magic and felt it relax into nearly nothing at all. He was spent.

Exhausted, he blinked his eyes purposefully and examined Arthur. He was still breathing steadily. He was still unmoving.

Merlin settled in to wait. Only time would tell.

 

*~~~~~~~*

 

There was a dull ache in his chest, but it paled next to the violent throbbing of his head. Arthur couldn’t even pinpoint where his head hurt exactly, he just knew that it did. For this reason, it took a while before his memories clarified and he felt the need to open his eyes and find out what had happened.

To his gratification, the first image that his blurred vision granted him was dark hair, a pale face, and worried blue eyes. Merlin. Suddenly, the pain in his head was more bearable. Arthur opened his eyes all the way and brought Merlin’s face into focus.

"Arthur?" Merlin said, his voice breaking on the name. He tightened his hands, which Arthur realized at that moment were wrapped around one of his own. Arthur managed to quirk his lips into a smile. They were cracked and dry, but Merlin seemed to notice instantly, and reached away to bring a cup of water for Arthur to sip from. He moved to the bed and into a position with better leverage and then helped Arthur to sit up, leaned against Merlin’s chest.

After drinking just enough to wet his throat, Arthur halfway turned to look Merlin in the eye. He remembered everything until he had blacked out, but he chose to address the issue of the intruder first. "Merlin. What happened?"

"Tauren is in the dungeons. He is tied up and Leon posted two guards outside his cell," Merlin said, giving all the details that Arthur didn’t really care about.

Arthur nodded. Duty first. But if the renegade was locked up... "You dealt with him. I saw your magic." It came out more accusatory than he had meant it to, but he didn’t amend it. He needed to hear what Merlin had to say for himself.

Merlin tensed against his back and took his time responding. "I was born with magic, Arthur. There was never anything I could do about it. So I use it for you. I could never tell you -" Merlin stuttered to a halt when Arthur turned back to look at him once more. From Merlin’s shocked and guilty expression, Arthur gathered that his hurt was showing through.

Stubbornly, Arthur clung to the constant beating in his head. That pain was preferable to the pain of Merlin lying to him, not trusting him.

"Arthur?" Merlin pleaded. "I have never done anything to harm you or Camelot. I would have told you, only..." He trailed off.

"Only what?" Arthur asked hoarsely.

"I... I didn’t know. How you would take it, I mean. Sorcery is banished in Camelot; I didn’t want you to have to choose between me and the law." Merlin started timidly, but he finished with confidence. Arthur dropped his head to Merlin's shoulder, letting his lover steady him. There should have been no choice. Merlin was good; if some part of him was outlawed, then the problem was with the law, not Merlin. If Merlin was magic... then perhaps not all magic was bad. There was no other explanation.

Arthur sighed, but reached out and took Merlin’s hand. "You should have told me, you idiot. We don't need to have secrets between us."

Merlin squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry, Arthur," he said simply.

"I'm just glad you're alive," Arthur replied. They sat in silence for a while, Arthur puzzling things together. Then, he spoke again. "I suppose you never needed my protection. Or swordfighting lessons."

Merlin chuckled. "Well, I appreciated the concern, and I did learn a lot." Then, after a moment: "I do need you to protect me, Arthur. Just as you need me. We are here for each other."

Arthur felt any unease or anger or hurt that may have lingered slip away at that. Merlin was all he had ever needed. Merlin was what made everything - Camelot, his knights, everything - worth fighting for. "Merlin, I love you. I know there will be politics and duty in the way, but just between you and me, that's enough. I love you, and I want you to be my husband."

Merlin's breath caught. Slowly, he extracted himself from behind Arthur, and came around to the front. He cocked his brow and peered at Arthur suspiciously. "Are you feeling all right?"

Arthur glared.

With a short laugh, Merlin turned on his brilliant grin. "Arthur, I love you forever. If you want me to be your husband, your king, or your queen, I don't mind what we call it. I will always be by your side."

Without a word, Arthur tilted his head up and Merlin obediently leaned down for a kiss.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> This piece was written on a whim, inspired by Tamara's story [Arthur and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Bet](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3816997).


End file.
